A portion of Tyndall’s F-15 fleet returned to flying status today after more than two months of stand-down actions after a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C aircraft experienced catastrophic structural failure and broke apart in flight Nov. 2.

Air Combat Command cleared a portion of the Air Force’s F-15 A-D model aircraft for flying status and recommended a limited return to flight for Air Force units worldwide following engineering risk assessments and data received from multiple fleet-wide inspections.

“With the extended down-time our pilots are anxious to get back in the air and perform their mission training Air Dominance Warriors for the nation,” said Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Huyck, commander of the 95th Fighter Squadron, one of two F-15 pilot training squadrons at Tyndall.
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The return to fly order and recommendation applies only to those F-15 aircraft, about 60 percent of the total Air Force F-15 A-D fleet, that have cleared all inspections and have met longeron manufacturing specifications. All inspections are complete on Tyndall’s fleet and 28 of 55 jets here are cleared to fly today. The jets not yet cleared are awaiting engineering analysis and review of their longeron specifications.